Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street

Currently Reading: Nightwatch by Sergei Lukyanenko

When I think of the work of Stephen Sondheim what usually comes to mind is romantic-comedy. This is the man responsible for such Broadway hits as Gypsy, Company, A Little Night Music, Follies and Into The Woods, to name a few. He did the lyrics for West Side Story and gave us Send In The Clowns for crying out loud. But then there's Sweeney Todd.

Sweeney is the one musical that really stands out. Hell it would stand out in just about any body of work. Let's face it, how many Broadway musicals can you name that are about serial killing and meat pies?

The latest adaptation hit the theaters a few weeks ago. It stars Johnny Depp as Sweeney and Helena Bonham Carter as his landlady. CC and I watched it on the first and I must say I was very impressed by it. For the life of me I can't understand why anyone would object to Tim Burton as the director. This story is SO his type of story.

Sweeney Todd centers around a barber who has been thrown into prison so a judge could court his wife. Years later he gets out and moves back into his old neighborhood looking for revenge. Naturally he goes completely mad and sets off on a killing spree. His landlady has a rather clever and profitable way to deal with the bodies. She uses them to make meat pies. Not exactly Sunday in the Park with George is it? More like Sunday in the Park with George Romero (the Night of the Living Dead guy).

Anyway, I remember the early press on this one. There were several critics who were set against Burton doing this movie. Granted he doesn't exactly have a lot of experience in musical theater but her certainly dishes out many a dark image and usually with a twist of humor. That's perfect for this piece. As a whole, it's so well-written that you end up rooting for Sweeney and Mrs. Lovett for a while, until you come to your senses of course. In the end, Sweeney and company make a whole bloody mess of everything and everyone gets their just desserts, if you'll pardon the pun.

I must say, if this movie doesn't prove Johnny Depp can do pretty much anything, then nothing will. CC and I were talking about this on the way home. Is there anything he hasn't done yet? She pointed out that he hasn't played a woman but we wouldn't put it past him if the right part came along. He did dress up in drag in Ed Wood, don't forget.

I don't know who will get nominated for the Oscars this year but I would certainly hope that Depp, Burton and Helena Bonham Carter all get something. It's not really the kind of movie Hollywood likes to reward of course, there are no clever allusions to politics, no nods to any fashionable social causes. But it would be nice to see some nominations spread around. It's not like this was a particularly great year in film.

So, if you've got a strong stomach, go and watch Sweeney Todd. If you DON'T have a strong stomach, well I'd advise you to not look at the screen any time he has someone in the chair with a razor in his hand. CC was in the habit of covering her eyes every time someone sat down.

It's funny. She couldn't watch as Sweeney slit throat after throat and yet, what did she say as the closing credits rolled up the screen? "I want a chicken pot pie. Do you feel like chicken pot pie?" We didn't have chicken pot pie for dinner but we did have sheepard's pie, which is close enough :-)